Vegan Double Chocolate & Beetroot Cake

moist, fruity,

full of choc

What a way to hide your veggies! I had some beetroots on hand and made a lush and nutty salad with them - but I spared that on, medium-sized cooked red root to bake a cake for dessert. And how to make it better to give it its last indulgently satisfying touch? Add more creamy chocolate on top, that’s right. 

Servings: 1 cake
Total time: 1 hour
 

for the cake

 

100g 70 - 85%* dark chocolate

50g vegan butter or coconut oil 

2 tbsp broken flax seeds + 1/4 cup hot water

1 medium beetroot, cooked and quartered (160g)

100g spelt flour (type 630)

100g raw cane sugar 

30g cacao

1 tsp baking powder

generous pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup hot water 

for the ganache

100g 70 - 85%* dark chocolate

170g vegan creme or creamy coconut milk

pinch of flakey sea salt

*depending on how much of a chocolate fan you are. I used a 75% dark chocolate for this recipe, but you can definitely also go for a darker one if you like the deep, rich bitterness of cocoa.

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate along with the butter in a small saucepan over a water bath. 

  2. Soak the flax seeds in hot water for 10 minutes, then add the mixture to a blender. Add the beetroot and blend until smooth.

  3. In a big bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cacao, baking powder and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are evenly combined. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture, the beetroot mixture and add in the hot water, then gently whisk until the batter comes together. 

  4. Grease a rectangular baking tin, then sprinkle with some cacao and pour in the cake batter. Bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Lift out of the pan after the cake has slightly cooled, then place in the fridge. 

  5. For the ganache, finely chop the dark chocolate and transfer to a medium sized bowl. Heat the creme/coconut milk in a sauce pan, then pour over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Gently stir until a smooth, creamy consistency forms and all chocolate chunks have fully melted. Place the bowl in the fridge until the ganache has just set (this will take about 15 - 20 minutes).

  6. Decorate the cake with the ganache using a spatula, forming little twirls on the surface after you evenly spread it all across. Place in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.

Judith Gilles